What does implicitness mean?
Implicitness is the quality of communicating or understanding something without stating it directly. An implicit message, assumption, or attitude is conveyed through context, tone, conduct, or an unexpressed meaning rather than through explicit words. The term is especially useful in discussions of communication, law, literature, and interpersonal relationships. For example, a workplace culture of implicitness may leave employees to infer expectations from behavior and precedent rather than being told them directly. The word can describe both the condition of a situation and the quality of a person’s manner or communication. Because implicitness can make meaning difficult to identify, it is often discussed neutrally as a feature of language or culture, but sometimes critically when its lack of clarity causes misunderstanding or exclusion.
nounThe quality of being implicit: understood or conveyed without being stated directly. It can also refer to a situation in which something is implied rather than openly expressed.
- The state or quality of being implicit, especially when a meaning, assumption, or attitude is conveyed without being directly stated.
"The implicitness of the agreement allowed both sides to avoid discussing the disagreement."
"The implicitness of her question revealed more than she realized."
"Legal documents should avoid ambiguity arising from the implicitness of a contractual provision."
The plural is grammatically possible but rare; the singular is normally used.
"The study examined the different implicitnesses found in diplomatic correspondence."
Implicitness is the art of meaning something without saying it outright.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does implicitness come from?
The word derives from “implicit,” which came through French from Latin “implicitus,” a form of “implicare,” meaning to entangle or involve. “Implicare” itself was built from “in-” and “plicare,” meaning to fold. The suffix “-ness” forms the modern noun “implicitness,” meaning the state or quality of being implicit.
How implicitness is actually used
This is a formal and relatively uncommon noun. It is more often used in academic, legal, linguistic, or analytical contexts than in everyday conversation.
Easily confused with implicitness
Implicitness is the quality of being unstated, whereas an implication is the specific meaning or conclusion that can be inferred.